For several years pickup truck owners have been plagued by tailgate theft. These thefts stem from the tailgate hinge design, which allows one end of the tailgate to pull free of the hinge when the tailgate is lowered to a particular position. When in that position, a shaft member is free to move from a fixed receiving cup in which the shaft member is normally situated. The shaft member moves from the receiving cup through an open slotted sector designed for that purpose. Tailgate thieves find it easy to lower the tailgate to the well known removal position, and pull the shaft member from the receiving cup.
Currently, the known methods for combating this problem, typically involve significant hardware additions, and usually involve keyed locks. Some involve locking the tailgate itself, which reduces the convenience and utility of the tailgate during ordinary usage.
What is needed is a simple means of combating tailgate theft, with a minimum of hardware, and without the necessity of locking the tailgate.